


A View from a Distance

by Writerleft



Series: Comes Marching Home [49]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Epilogue, F/F, Fluff, Korra and Tenzin, Korrasami Month 2016, Prompt:Role Reversal, Sweet, Talking about her daughter, introspective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-03 04:00:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8695801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/pseuds/Writerleft
Summary: Korra has had it up to here with all this teenaged romance nonsense her daughter is involved in. Tenzin has absolutely no idea how she feels, nope, none at all.





	

Tenzin groaned as he sat in his rocking chair overlooking the bay. As much as it had changed over the decades, he never grew tired of looking at the city he'd given so much of his life to. Korra let him settle before handing him his tea. “Now. What is this all about?” he asked.

“Mian!” Korra said, pacing away. His old pupil had a full head of steam, it appeared. He sipped his tea and allowed her to get up to speed. “The girl is driving us nuts, Tenzin!”

“Oh? She's always been such a sweet girl. Has she turned a little rebellious in her teen years?”

“No! Yes... maybe. I don't think so?”

Tenzin chuckled. “Well, if you want my advice, you'll have to tell me what's going on."

Korra crossed her arms, leaning against a pillar. “She's... she's _dating_.”

“Ah.”

“Don't... don't you 'ah' me, old man! She has at least three boys and one girl chasing after her, she's always wanting to stay out late at these parties, and I've seen how they all look at her, Tenzin! Like she's... like she's some sort of...”

“Young woman?”

She glared at him. “One of the boys rides a motorcycle, Tenzin. A _motorcycle_.”

“Asami rides a motorcycle.”

“Yeah, but Asami's not a _boy!_ ”

“And what does Mian think of all this attention?”

Korra rolled her eyes, pitching her voice upward to imitate her daughter. “Oh, Mom, don't worry. They're all just my friends! We hang out together, like you and Mama and my uncles did.”

“Mhm. And is she aware that you dated both of her uncles.”

“Tenzin!” Korra hissed.

"I recall there being quite a bit of turmoil, between the four of you. Perhaps explaining your shared experience would help build some rapport?"

Korra sputtered.

He did not want to admit how much he was enjoying this. “I'm sorry, Korra, but I fail to see the actual problem. Has she been home on time?”

“Well, yes—”

“And is she still doing well in school?”

“Yeah, but—”

“And her self-defense classes are still going well?”

“She managed to pin Asami the other day, but Tenzin!”

“Korra,” he laughed, leaning forward, “foolish teenagers or no, you don't believe any of Mian's friends would do anything to upset Asami or Korra Sato, do you?”

She sat on the railing, arms crossed again. “I'm more worried about what _Mian_ might do to upset us.”

“Ah. By which you mean, make the same mistakes you did? Or grow up at all?”

Korra sighed, kicking her legs out. “When did that happen, Tenzin? It's like, we only picked her up from the orphanage a week or two ago.”

Tenzin waved her to come closer, setting his empty teacup aside. She scooted over, and he took her hand between his. “You and Asami are both marvelous parents, and it's natural to want to hold on to the child you've loved all these years. I'm sure you remember my... difficulty adjusting, when Jinora and Kai first began their relationship.”

“You weren't exactly Mr. Flexible, Open-minded Airbender about that,” Korra admitted with a chuckle.

“And now they have children of their own and I couldn't be happier for them.” He patted Korra's hand. “The world is a scary place, and I know how much you want to keep her safe. But you've raised a bright and capable young woman, and you'll have to trust her judgment. But there is something wonderful happening that you just might miss, if you focus too much on your little girl slipping away.”

Korra wiped the corner of her eyes. “What's that?”

“Getting to know your grown-up daughter. Relating to her on adult terms. When Jinora handled the Water Tribes crisis, without my help at all... I was so proud of her, Korra. She'd earned her tattoos before then, but that was the first time I truly saw her as an equal part of society, not because she was my daughter, but because she was herself. You get to start doing that now, Korra.”

“She's still my little girl though,” Korra said.

“And she always will be,” Tenzin reassured her. “Whoever she ends up with. Even if it is three guys and a girl.”

Korra choked. “Don't make me steal your cane.”

Tenzin chuckled. “It's a lovely day. I could wait for somebody to find me.”

“You're not fun now that you're all relaxed.”

“That's interesting. Because you are far more entertaining when you're all wound up.”

“Tenzin, it's awful late in life for you to be rediscovering the Air Nomad sense of humor.”

He chuckled, resting back in his chair, looking out at the bay. “Just enjoying the harmony of it. You and Asami, you've built a beautiful city for your daughter.”

Korra turned, looking the same way he was. “Technically, it wasn't just for her.”

“But she is a good motivator, isn't she?”

“The best,” Korra agreed. “You're out of tea, should I get you some more?”

Tenzin shook his head. “I'd rather you just sat with me a while longer, if you wouldn't mind.”

Korra smiled—still the little girl he'd first met in the South Pole, all those years ago. And she always would be. “I'd love to.”

 

_Fanart courtesy of[emptyhighlighters](https://emptyhighlighters.tumblr.com/post/174721865713/thewillowtree3-contacted-me-and-told-me-that)_

**Author's Note:**

> And we bring Korrasami Month to a close, fittingly, with a story that acts as a sort of happy epilogue to all of it. Other than Avatar Wisdom, which I suppose acts as a coda? A nice little post-script? 
> 
> Point is, I think this was sweet, and I like seeing everybody older and happy. Life goes on.
> 
> [Visit me on my tumblr! Say hi! ](https://threehoursfromtroy.tumblr.com/)


End file.
